Granita Di Cafe : a traditional iced coffee straight from the hot Sicilian summer!

Although Italy is not famous for its cold coffees, in a corner of the neighboring country a cold coffee made with the simplest materials and connected to the history of the region steals its impressions! 

Sicily is known, among other things, for its warm, humid and sometimes stunning summers, but the Sicilians are also miserable espresso enthusiasts, like all Italians. The answer to how one can enjoy the taste of the espresso amid the hot Sicilian summer gave her the mountain - a symbol of the island, Etna.

Mount Etna is permanently covered with snow, all year round. Since the time of the Greek colonies of Sicily, Greeks and Romans used the snow to cool their wine, while the Arab conquerors made ice-cold sweets, know as serbets. During the rennaisance, snow and ice trading was a major revenue for the city of Catania, and since the introduction of coffee on the island, the first Sicilian attempts for icy coffees are made, that still remain typical of Sicily today: the Granita Di Café!

Granita is a widespread breakfast in Sicily, and is usually accompanied by a fluffy, soft brioche type bread roll. The Sicilians use to dive the bread in the granite, making sandwiches filling it with the granite, or simply enjoy it while they drink the icy, refreshing drink. Although the granita comes with many flavors and flavors, the Granita Di Café, made with a strong espresso, is perhaps the best choice for breakfast.

Although in the older times Granita Di Café was actually constructed with snow, it can of course be made easily with ice. It is a simple, refreshing beverage that does not require any special equipment and fits firmly on the simplicity that characterizes the basic philosophy of Italian gastronomy and coffee culture, since it requires only espresso, ice and sugar!

What do you need for a Sicilian Granita di Café?

225 ml espresso 

225ml water

225 gr sugar

Whipped ful fat cream, for serving

How is Granita di Café made?

• In a saucepan, heat the water and sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved.
• Leave at room temperature until the syrup is completelyc ooled 
• Stir the espresso with the syrup in a pot and place it in the freezer.
• Every two hours, remove the mixture from the freezer and mix well with a pear. Repeat for as long as necessary (usually not more than 3-4 hours), until the mixture has the granita texture. It should not be solid, nor liquid, and its texture must befull of crystals.
• Serve with a spoonful of whipped cream and, if it is in the morning, with a brioche ban.

Tips for a delicious Granita Di Café

• The dosage we are describing is enough for 4-6 glasses of Granita di Café - usually made, due to its nature, in large quantities.
• You can also make Granita with coffee other than espresso, for example with a filter coffee, which will result in a weaker and less intense flavor.
• If you have an ice cream machine, you can put the mixture directly into the ice cream machine, following the manufacturer's instructions and omitting the blow every two hours. The texture will be slightly different and slightly more "silky"
• Granita Di Café contains a lot of sugar, which is necessary, not only for the taste but also for the drink to get the right texture. Sugar prevents the liquid from freezing completely and helps to create small crystals.
• Prefer a classic Italian espresso blend to prepare therecipe. The coffee used should be characterized by a strong body to retain the flavor both after the addition of sugar and after the freezing process. For example, you can choose 40% Robusta blends, such as Amigo's Qualita Blu and Manaresi Super Bar, or if you want a really intense and persistent coffee taste with a of 70% Robusta blend , such as Gran Espresso from Lavazza.
• Of course, you  can use whipped cream for the garnish, but the original recipe requires a well-shuffled, full-bodied milk cream that will complement the granite textures for a more complete experience.

Someone has said that "summer is a state of mind" - if that is the case, you do not have to wait for aheatwave to enjoy a Granita Di Café! With just three simple ingredients, you can bring the hot Sicilian summer to your kitchen!